To Get Rid of Me
by Seishi Minamoto
Summary: Matt had just returned from China, and now he had fever. That's when SARS outbreak occured. Meh. That's all I can say. The title is just bla-bla-bla. R&R. Please. *COMPLETED*
1. The Outbreak

To Get Rid of Me 

This is a story of Matt having a serious disease called SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). Quite angsty, but I don't really think so. Mostly Taito, and hope the short chapters don't make you bored. Before I begin, I'm telling you that Digimon is not mine, and this story is just made up, so it doesn't relate to anybody dead or alive.

Wait a minute, why am I so angsty as well? Hmph. So read this, and review okay? Thanks.

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Chapter 1: The Outbreak (Matt's POV) 

It has been a week since I returned from China. I went there to perform in a concert and it was all satisfying… not. Now I got a fever and I can't even go to school.

And this is so humiliating.

Yesterday I saw news about something called SARS. What is SARS, actually? I din't pay much attention to it because I thought it was some kind of air forces or something [1].

Huh… my body is aching all over right now. And I felt very hot. No matter how cold my room, I still couldn't get rid of the heat. Father even complaint that my room is now much colder than the fridge!

Suddenly I felt very cold. It is indeed very cold here. So I turned off the air-cond and went outside to the living room.

I remembered when Tai called me yesterday. He had asked why didn't go to school recently. I just told him that I got a fever and I don't think I'm able to go to school. He said nothing after that.

I'm bored. I'm so damn bored. Maybe I should watch TV.

My vision blurred as I reached the TV. My head…it felt like it wanted to explode. I clutched my head and shook the pain away before my vision cleared.

"And now for the breaking news," was the first sentence I heard. "The SARS outbreak had claimed 81 lives in China [2]. The reported case had now increased to 1838 cases [3]." I froze. Outbreak? In China? Since when?

"People are advised not to travel especially to China, Hong Kong and Singapore because of this disease [4]."

I was stunned to hear the rest of the news. I merely thought that SARS was a new airforce group; but no, it's a disease. It was short form of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or so it's called [5].

"The symptoms of the disease will begin with a fever higher than 100.4ºF, headache, discomfort, body aches and followed by dry cough and trouble of breathing. If you or your family members who had gone to China have one of these symptoms or more, please go to… [6]"

I didn't hear the rest of the explanation as I blacked out.

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Well, that's the beginning. Some explanations:

[1] This is _exactly_ what I thought of SARS when I first heard it. Geez, am I so stupid… -_-;;

[2] Reported on 18 April 2003.

[3] Approximate number; I don't really remember, but it was reported on the same day.

[4, 5, 6] For more info, search on the Net. ^^

Remember to review. Okay? Chapter 2 is coming up next. Once again, arigatou gozaimashita.


	2. The Tragedy

To Get Rid of Me 

In the last chapter, Matt was in his home suffering from a fever and found out that he might be one of SARS patient. Is he really? Let's check it out.

Digimon is not mine; if I do, I'd make the continuation of Digimon Adventure and 02. But even if I don't, I'll make one anyway. Just don't sue me, please.

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**Chapter 2: The Tragedy (Tai's POV)**

I am worried about Matt right now. He didn't show up in school since his return from China; and when I called him up, he said that he had a fever. That's strange. I really wanted to know how was his performance in his concert there last week.

"Class," I heard Mrs. Yamaguchi, our Biology teacher, said. "Now there's a disease called severe acute respiratory syndrome, also known as SARS."

"What about SARS?" a student asked.

"It's an epidermic disease that had now occurred in China and Hong Kong. It's a disease that caused respiratory problem. It has occurred since long ago, but the outbreak had now spread. There are about 80 deaths in China now."

The whole explanation turned my face a very pale coloured. Oh shit. Matt had gone there too! So the fever he said might be…

"Mrs. Yamaguchi!" I suddenly called out. "What are the symptoms of SARS?"

Everyone looked at me with a very strange look in the eyes. I know what were they exactly trying to say, I never had paid any attention in her class but suddenly I got interested? Not really. I suddenly had this feeling that Matt's life might be in danger, that's all.

Mrs. Yamaguchi blinked for a while, before she took out some papers.

"Hmm, let's see…it says here that it began with a high fever, then some things like discomfortness, body aches, headache and finally trouble of breathing and dry coughs," she informed. Damn. If Matt really had a fever, then he might be having it. Yes, that would confirm a bit.

"Yagami? Is there anything wrong?" the teacher's question snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Uh… nothing, Mrs. Yamaguchi. Sorry," I said, and sat down.

Matt, I hope you're all right.

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Later that evening, I came over to Matt's house. I brought a pack of surgical masks along, just in case he really had SARS.

Finally I reached the Ishida residence. I knocked the door. "Hello! Matt, are you there?" I called. There was no answer. That's weird. Nobody came out. Is he out or something?

Then a sound caught my ears. It was a faint woman's voice; I think it came from the television. So it means Matt is there. Who would be stupid to go out with the TV on, anyway?

I knocked the door again. "Matt? Matt, open up!" There was still no response from him.

Suddenly I had this very bad feeling. Something might have happened to him. It has to be! Quickly I put on three layers of surgical mask, as Mrs. Yamaguchi told me, and twisted the doorknob. It twisted right away.

That's strange. The door was unlocked. Carefully, I stepped into his house. "Matt?" I called again, as I went to his living room.

And there he was; Matt was lying on the floor, unconscious.

"Matt!!"

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A cliffhanger. Yeah, I know. But cliffhangers are usually fun, ne? Once again, read and review. Tell me what you think. Chapter 3 will be up soon. Arigatou gozaimashita.


	3. The Isolation

To Get Rid of Me 

In last chapter Tai found Matt unconscious on the floor of his house. Hey, what other things to say, huh? Ah, Tai had suspected Matt of having SARS after he returned from China. That's a short summary, isn't it?

Like I told you previously, I don't own Digimon. But if there is a Digital World, I'll create Matt and Ken all for me. Hey, hey… *evil grin*

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Chapter 3: The Isolation (Matt's POV) 

What had happened to me? I found it so hard to breathe…so hard to breathe…

When my visions cleared, I found myself in a very wide, white room. There was a table with several bottles of medicine, and some machines…

I think I'm now in the hospital.

I closed my eyes slowly, trying to remember why the fuck am I here. I searched for anything that would help me remember, but to no avail. Finally I sighed in defeat. I didn't even know why am I here.

So I tried to search for someone I know, but I couldn't move much. My body is aching all over, and it hurts. It really hurts. The pain was unbearable for me to hold. What had happened to me?

Suddenly I heard coughs from a nearby patient. Her cough sounded so weird; it was as if she was choking on food or something. Slowly I turned to see the patient. It was a girl. And strangely enough, she wore a surgical mask.

That's when I realized that I am also wearing the very same thing.

"Rei, stop it!" Another girl, who wore the same mask, tried to stop the coughing girl from taking off her mask.

"I don't want to be here, Kaoru!!" the girl called Rei wailed. "I want to go home!!"

"What do you mean, 'home'? We don't have any home!" the girl called Kaoru snapped. Then she realised that I was watching them quarrelling. She narrowed her eyes a bit, as if she was smiling, and paid her attention back to Rei.

"Rei, look there!" she said, pointing her finger to me. "He has awakened! Yamato Ishida has awakened!" she continued happily. I lifted my hand, and greeted them a very warm 'hi'.

Both girls approached me; with the blond-haired Kaoru helped the red-haired Rei to go near. "Hi, Ishida-kun," Rei greeted slowly. "You finally woke up."

"Finally?"

"Yup, you've been sleeping here for about…2 days?" Kaoru said, counting her fingers. "A brunette boy sent you here, and was quarantined, and now he's back home. Oh," she paused, "He had visited you yesterday."

I knew at the instant that the boy she mentioned might be Taichi. "Is he wild-haired? Like this?" I guessed, shoving my fingers out from the side of my head to describe him.

"Yes, he's the one. Oh, he sent his regards to you." I didn't say anything, but to answer it silently.

"Uhh…Kaoru," Rei began, "Don't we want to introduce ourselves?" The question made Kaoru blinked, but then she laughed lightly before she coughed a bit.

"Yeah, sure, why not? My name is Kaoru Miyama, and this is Rei Tanaka," Kaoru introduced. "We were there when you perform in China, you know." I was surprised to hear that.

"Really?"

"Yup, you were so amazing out there," said Rei happily. Then she began to cough so hard Kaoru had to rub her back. "But now we ended up in a hospital."

"Hey!" Kaoru snapped out.

"Well it's true. Why do we have SARS anyway? If it's not because of our visit to China, then why?"

The word caught me. SARS. I thought I had heard that name before. I narrowed my eyes, trying to remember what it is. I knew I had heard about it somewhere. But where? "Uhh…" I began, "What is SARS?"

Both Kaoru and Rei blinked at me. The stares took a long while before they glanced at each other. It was obvious to them; I don't know even a little damn about it.

"It's a disease," Kaoru finally answered. "A very serious disease. It makes us have trouble breathing. It's epidemic."

"Epidemic?"

"Like, if you have it, it can spread to others in contact with you," Rei offered to answer. And that's all I needed to know. I have trouble breathing; maybe I got SARS. But I had stayed with Father when I got sick, and he deals with a lot of people but if he got it too, then everyone around him…ahh, I can't think of it anymore.

"I heard that it's fatal," Kaoru added. "Many people have died in China. But many had also recovered, so we still have a chance." Of course, it didn't relieve everyone's worries but at least there's still hope. _Maybe_.

We were silent at the rest of the day.

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Another short chapter is completed. Well, not _that_ short, really. Maybe keeping it as short as possible is better than writing a whole long story and then you realised you didn't know how to continue. Meh.

Anyway, review, okay? Thanks. -_-


	4. The Pain

To Get Rid of Me 

Okay. Matt had a fever since his return from China, and found out that he got SARS. In the hospital, he met two friends – a blonde girl called Kaoru and a red-haired girl called Rei. And they also had the same disease. And that's a short summary.

Wisegirl claims that Digimon does not belong to her. No way she could afford that much money to buy it. Really.

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**Chapter 4: The Pain (Tai's POV)**

It had been three days since I sent Matt to the hospital. When I found him collapsed on the floor of his apartment, his temperature was very high and he was barely able to breathe; his breath was more like a wheezing.

To make things worse, he had to be sent to University Hospital in Keio, Mita; a so damn far place from Odaiba. It was the only hospital nearby that handled SARS patients. I was worried along the way to the hospital; everytime he released his breath, my heart skipped; as if he would not breathe again. It was so hurting, so hurt that I cried beside him.

Luckily he survived, but he slept and didn't wake up. Not only that, I was also quarantined to see if I got it too. I was fortunate that I don't have that virus, thanks to Mrs. Yamaguchi who told me to wear at least three layers of surgical mask.

Now I'm here, back to the hospital, to visit him. I had told Matt's father about what happened, and he had gone there to have his medical check-up. Geez, wonder if he's got SARS, too. Hope not.

The first thing I met when I entered 'the special ward for SARS patients' was Matt chatting happily with two girls. "Hey Matt," I greeted him happily.

"Tai!" The call from Matt somehow, had relieved me. I tried to hold back my tears to see him…alive. It was so rewarding to see my best friend still alive.

I approached the bed where Matt was. "How do you feel right now?" I asked.

He shrugged to hear my question. "I don't know," he replied. "Maybe a bit better." Then he began to cough so hard that I had to rub his back for him. "-Or maybe worse."

I released a heavy sigh. "I was worried, you know. When I saw you on the floor, I thought you'd die. There were so many problems sending you here, you know," I complained. "First, Odaiba Hospital don't accept you and asked the ambulance to send you here. Then there was a heavy traffic jam and you went like you'd die anytime. I was scared, you know." This time, I couldn't hold back my manly tears. "You didn't even tell me about the concert that time."

My cries made him and his new friends stared at me. I even caught the blond-haired girl whispered, "He cries like a baby."

"Hey, I'm not a baby!" I instantly protested, and quickly wiped the tears away from my face. "I'm just worried, that's all!" Of course, I saw nothing on her face as she wore a mask, but I thought she was smirking at me or something.

Then Matt introduced me to the girls; the blonde girl was Kaoru and the red-haired one was Rei. They were friends, and they went to the same concert Matt performed in China; that would explain why did they have SARS.

But then there were some things that bothered me. Firstly, why did only Matt got it? Where were the rest of the members of his band? Second, why was Kaoru looked healthy when she is sick? Lastly, if the girls were quarantined the day they reached the airport, why wasn't Matt quarantined? He was supposed to be quarantined, too!

All of them blinked when I asked all things that came up into my mind. Even they didn't know the answer. Only the first question was answered – the rest of the band didn't perform there. They had somehow declined the invitation. Only Matt accepted it. That's too bad.

"Taichi Yagami," suddenly I heard a woman called. It was a doctor, wearing the you-know-what, standing at the door. "Time's out," she said. "You should go now."

I saw hurt on everyone's eyes as I walked out of the room. "Don't worry Matt, I'll visit you again later. Okay?" That was all I tried to assure him as I went out.

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Finished for now. Not completed yet, however. Short chapters, random blabberings, etc… at least I got every point told.

Review, okay? Thanks. -_-


	5. The News

To Get Rid of Me 

In last chapter, Tai visited Matt in the hospital and found out that from their conversation that only Matt went to China. Well, that's the main story. So…what about Matt's dad? This is the story.

Digimon belongs to Akiyoshi Hongo, Toei Animation, Disney, Saban, and Bandai. That means wisegirl has nothing to do with it.

This chapter has both Tai's and Matt's POVs, so these are the indications:

(~Name~'s POV) means someone's POV

************* means change of situation

So, let's go to the story.

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Chapter 5: The News 

(Tai's POV)

"So Matt's got SARS?" asked Sora when I broke the news to all Digidestined. They have been wondering where Matt was, and only know that he was sick, but I don't think they'll expect to receive this news.

Sora was the one who worried the most from Matt's disappearance. Matt had promised her to tell about the concert. Why shouldn't she worry? She's his girlfriend, after all.

"That's bad," Joe murmured. "There's barely a chance for him to survive."

His sentence shocked the rest of us. What did he mean?

"Don't be ridiculous," Izzy snapped angrily. "From four thousand cases, nearly half of them had recovered. That's what I found on the Internet [1]." His statement relieved some of us. But Joe didn't seem satisfied.

"I know, but many have died also."

That time I felt like I wanted to punch Joe right on his face. How could he be so pessimistic? And he said he wanted to be a doctor. How can he become a doctor if he has no positive thinking?

_There's barely a chance for him to survive._

It sounded as if he wanted Matt dead. What's wrong with him? I just stared at him angrily, balling my fists. If he says another 'I want Matt to die soon' sentence, let these fists get him and send him to the moon, or to Hell, wherever.

"Uhh…Tai," I heard T.K. called, and my anger eased a bit. He had said nothing when I brought the news; but deep down I knew that he was shocked as well. He's Matt younger brother; even though they haven't met lately, they were still in touch. The face of the 12-year-old [2] seemed clouded. "If Matt had gotten it, what about…my dad?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know," I replied, "But I have told him."

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(Matt's POV)

I am worried about Father. A doctor told me that he got him quarantined [3]. Until now I don't know Father's condition. Well, I _should_ be worried. What if he got SARS too? He deals with a lot of people. If he got it, then around a hundred or more people might get infected as well. I heard it spreads via air, and that's what I don't want. Imagine; if Father got SARS, then he dealt with 100 people and they got infected, and then they dealt with 100 people each…it's a frightening number.

Ahh…I can't stand this!

Kaoru and Rei didn't have to worry much; they have no other friends to deal with, and they were quarantined right at the airport. They wouldn't spread it. Me? I'll definitely be blamed if many people had it.

I still remembered the day when our band; I mean, _my_ band, got the invitation to perform in China. I told them about it, and they seemed happy. But when the time came, they didn't show up. I didn't know what had happened, or why, and their cellphones were not answered. The manager told me I could do it alone, so off I went.

Damn. They must be dancing in joy right now. I swear if I recovered, I'll kill them in any way.

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Later that evening, the doctor who informed me about Father came with good news: He was _not_ infected by the virus. Thank God. I was afraid to be the blame if he got it. So only the three of us have it – Kaoru, Rei, and I.

Father paid me a brief visit after the doctors found no sign of SARS on him. He just told me to be brave and blah blah blah. I didn't even understand what was he trying to say.

Anyway, my worst nightmare was over. But things are not settled yet.

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Now what do you think? Tell me your opinions. The ending is my surprise, so don't tell me whether to kill Matt or not 'coz this is _my_ story.

A little info:

[1] On WHO's report on SARS on 5 May (worldwide), there were 6583 cases reported, with 461 deaths and 2764 recoveries.

[2] It happened on year 2003, exactly _this_ year. What should I say?

[3] Actually, a quarantine for a person takes up to 10 days, but 10 days are too long so I cut it short.

Review, please? Thanks for your time. Arigatou gozaimashita. -_-


	6. The Rejection

**To Get Rid of Me**

WARNING: This chapter contains Sora and Joe bashing. If you are offended with this or are their fans, LEAVE NOW, unless you are curious to know what happen. Read at your own risk.

Digimon does not belong to wisegirl. If she does, she will not let others share Ken Ichijouji; that means he's all _hers_. Unfortunately, she doesn't. ^^;;;

In last chapter, Matt found out that only _he_ got SARS. In other hand, Tai told the other Digidestined about the news. But something was wrong, wasn't it?

Several notes:

***************** means change of situation.

(~Name~'s POV) – someone's POV.

---------------------- means change of POV in the same situation.

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Chapter 6: The Rejection 

(Matt's POV)

It has been 5 days since I was admitted to the hospital. During this time, only Tai and Father managed to visit me. I was quite grateful for the time they spend to visit me, especially Tai because he's in Odaiba and I'm now in Mita. About 10 kms away from there and still he managed to share some of his time to me.

Sora? Even though she's my girlfriend, I don't think she thinks so as well. I miss her, but does she miss me? Don't think so. She flirts with almost every guy she can find and one day if she finds one, she'll leave me.

"I'll…take… *cough cough* inside, and throw it all away… coz' I swear… *cough cough* I won't trust myself with you… [1]" I heard Kaoru sang loudly in English, a language I hardly understand [2]. Wonder what song was she singing. She had been singing this half an hour and yet she hadn't finished.

Rei clapped her hands happily as the song finished, and the cassette recorder was now playing another song. The melody caught my ears as it began; it was the sound of a flute… I think it's a shakuhachi flute. Uhh, I mean Japanese flute.

Kaoru began singing again, this time her voice had changed to a lower, man's voice. "Yo, peep the style and the kids checking for it, the number one question is how could you ignore it *cough cough cough* …rewind that, we're just rolling… [3]" Her style was like a professional rapper doing a stage performance. Well, except the coughing she made as she sang.

"Tried to give you warning, but everyone ignores me… but nobody's listening…"

I just listened to the song in interest until it finished.

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(Tai's POV)

From my previous visits, I noticed that Matt had slowly recovered. Still, Joe's sarcastic sentence still rang in my mind.

_There's barely a chance for him to survive._

Shit! For a hundredth time since I heard that sentence, I punched the wall, releasing my anger. When I realised what I was doing, my fists have already hurt. Rubbing my hands, I continued my way to Odaibakaihin-koen Station [4], to get to Mita.

That was when I saw Sora with a guy. Hey, that guy looks familiar… I quickly hid myself and approached them slowly.

It was not long before I realized that the guy with Sora was Joe. Sora? With Joe? What about Matt?

Then when I saw them kissing, it hit me. Now I know exactly what Joe meant when he said it.

_There's barely a chance for him to survive._

He wanted Matt dead, because he's in love with Sora.

_There's barely a chance for him to survive._

He made Sora believed him, and bothered not to visit Matt.

_There's barely a chance for him to survive._

And now they're in love.

Angrily, I approached the two, tapped Joe's shoulder and punched him right on the face. Sora was of course, shocked to see it.

"Tai!" Sora yelled angrily, rushing towards Joe who had now… fallen, like a clown. "What are you doing?!"

"You tell me what _you're_ doing!!" I shot back. "You go out with _him_, and kissed _him_," I pointed angrily at Joe everytime I mention _him_, "Now tell me where are you going to put Matt!!"

The reply Sora gave then shocked me. "He's not anywhere in my heart," she said coldly. "Not since the beginning, not even now, and not in the future."

Joe was glad to hear that. But for me, I can tell that it's like a ton of bricks falling onto Matt. "How could you?" I demanded. "What if Matt knows?"

"Who cares?" came another shocking reply. "He knows that already. Why bother?"

I can't believe that it came out from a girl named Sora Takenouchi. I know she flirts with every guy she could find, but when it comes to Matt… how could she change so fast? This is not the Sora Matt knows. Not even the Sora I know. Standing in front of me now is a real slut who fucks every shit that comes to her.

"You're such a fucking little bitch, Sora," I cursed angrily before I went off.

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(Matt's POV)

"Why… should I care-e-e… 'cause you weren't there, when I was scared, I was so alone… [5]" Kaoru sang yet another song, this time it comes from a girl. Man, she sings in English very well. I bet if she's a _real_ singer, she could be famous. Really.

Her song was cut by several knocks on the door. "Yamato?" I heard a boy called, and the door was opened, revealing Ken Ichijouji. "Hi," he greeted.

"Whoa, look who's here. The Wonder Boy!" Rei exclaimed happily. Kaoru said nothing, however; she just blinked at him.

"Meh." That was all she said.

In Ken's hands was a bouquet of flowers. "Sorry," he said. "I just don't know what to bring along with me." There were roses, daisies, and tulips…

"You don't have to bring this many flowers…" I quoted. "A visit is enough."

"Hey, Matt!!" Tai bursted in. "Oh, sorry, hi Ken," he said, as he saw Ken in this room.

"Hi, Taichi," Ken greeted back.

"So, what made you come here, young one?" Kaoru asked. I instantly remembered that Rei told me if Kaoru likes someone, she'd call him or her "young one". I chuckled. "What?"

"Nothing," I said.

Rei poked her elbow at Kaoru. "You like him, I know," she teased. Kaoru said nothing, but her crimson face told us everything. We laughed, thus making Kaoru blushed even more and turned to the window.

"I'm actually on my way to Keio University [6], so I decided to pay you a visit," Ken informed. "Anyway, I live closer to this place so why can't I go for a visit?" The others nodded, satisfied with the answer. "Sorry, but I have to go now. I don't really have much time. See you later." Aww… he comes and goes so fast. But that's still okay.

---------------------------------------

(Tai's POV)

Just now Ken came and now he had went off to Keio University. Hey, at least I'm not the only one to pay Matt a visit since he got infected with SARS.

Sora? That bitch. I don't know if Matt knows but I really need to tell him.

"Uhh…Matt," I began, trying to search for a suitable sentence to begin. "I want to know…do you care if Sora has another boyfriend?"

Matt stared at me, confused. "What do you mean?" The girls were also blinking.

"You know what I mean. If Sora has another boyfriend, what will you do?"

"Oh, me? Nothing." The answer surprised me. "She doesn't like me from the beginning, I know that. Why do you ask me that? Does she flirt with another guy again?"

I shrugged. "Actually, yes. With Joe."

"Ah, that bastard. Let them be," he stated. I never expected to get such an answer. The girls were silent. Maybe they were shocked.

"Why…should I care…" suddenly the blonde Kaoru sang. "'Cause you weren't there, when I was scared, I was so alone… *cough cough* Why… should I care… If you don't care, then I don't care, well I'm going anyway…" I knew she was trying to picture Matt's heart. Hey, I understand a bit English, you know. "It's a damn… cold… night… trying to figure out… this… life… won't you, take me by the hand take me somewhere new, I don't know who you are but I…  *cough* I'm with you… I'm with you… [7]"

I knew exactly what Kaoru wanted. Matt is rejected, and she wants me to accept him.

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There, there. Several more chapters to go.

A little info:

[1 & 3] Songs from Linkin Park – From the Inside and Nobody's Listening. I don't own LP, I don't own their songs, and it's just added to spice up the chapter.

[2] Most Japanese don't understand English; they have problems with it. No offense to Japanese.

[4] Odaibakaihin-koen is Odaiba's Railway station. From there you can go to Shimbashi, then to other places like Tamachi (where Ken lives), Shinjuku, Mita, bla-bla-bla.

[5 & 7] Songs from Avril Lavigne – Losing Grip and I'm With You. I don't own her and her songs, she does.

[6] Keio University is located near Tamachi, in Mita District. Well, I hope I got it right…

And for you Sora and Joe's fans out there, haven't I told you? So don't flame me or bomb me; you've been warned.

This chapter is longer than I have expected… keep it simple, baka!

Anyway, review please. Thanks a lot. -_-


	7. The Fall

To Get Rid of Me 

Finally, a new chapter is added. We have known from the last chapter that Sora, Matt's girlfriend, has dumped him and turned to Joe. Tai told Matt about it but Matt seemed did not care much. Is he really? Read to find out.

DISCLAIMER: wisegirl does not own Digimon. But she still loves Ken Ichijouji, and now Kouichi Kimura (they look alike, and I like those with short hair. Kewl. Kouji, get back!!). *^^*

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**Chapter 7: The Fall (Matt's POV)**

Sora loves Joe. I wasn't surprised; I knew that she flirts with other guys when I'm not around. However Tai was shocked; he didn't know about it even though he was the one reporting that Sora had dated another guy.

I still remembered the day I asked Sora to be my girlfriend. She was really happy, but in her happiness I sensed that something was wrong with her. I ignored it anyway, because I had found my love, and I thought she loved me too.

When Tai first told me that she began to flirt with other guys, I thought he was just jealous. So I didn't really believe him. Not that I don't trust him at all, but he couldn't give a proof so I don't really care about it. I began to believe when he gave me pictures of Sora dating other guys, but he shouldn't have interfered in anyone's business, should he?

Until I saw Sora kissing one of our bandmates Akira [1], I knew that she had cheated me. I was disappointed, but I didn't know if it was "heartbroken". Strange, because I didn't get mad at her. When I told her about it, she immediately admitted it but instead of saying a "sorry", she said nothing.

I didn't know if Sora had somehow, bewitched me. But… maybe I loved her too much.

"Yama-san," I heard Kaoru called. "Still thinking about that girl?" she asked me. Even though her face was emotionless, I could hear that her voice was concerned. She and Rei had been watching me drifting off and sighing… I realised that, but I didn't care about it.

"Forget her, Ishida-kun," Rei suggested. "It's no use thinking about someone who doesn't love you. There should be someone who will love you the way you are."

I smiled weakly to them. "Maybe…" I mumbled.

************************************************************************

This night is so…cold. My head ached back. I don't know why it happened – doctors said I will be fully recovered anytime soon.

Seconds passed…and my headache became worse. Rei and Kaoru had been sleeping the past few hours. I didn't want to wake them up, so I got up slowly to reach my medicines.

I didn't know since when I found it hard to breathe.

I didn't know when did I fail to get my medicines, and stumbled down my bed.

All I knew was that my vision blacked out again…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Uh-oh…what had happened to Matt?! Meh, I don't guarantee his safety. It's my story, anyway.

Some notes:

[1] I don't know who are Matt's band members' names, so I create Akira's name. If any of you know, please tell me in the review.

That's all. Review, please? Arigatou gozaimashita. -_-


	8. random notes from the author

**Author's Random Note:**

Hi, all! Sorry for keeping you waiting but I have some problems right now: assignments, school works, monetary problems, personal problems etc. So, I could not update the next chapter (in fact, I haven't write any!).

However, SARS problem has seemed to be cleared and I'm sure it would end very, very soon. So what I should do right now is to plan the next chapter. Anyway, I'm sorry for the very, very bad delay and I'll update the next chapter later on. Just be patient, okay?

Thanks for the support!

Love,

wisegirl.


	9. The Pain We Held

To Get Rid of Me 

To announce to all people: wisegirl is baaaaack! Woo-hoo! Sorry for the delayings because you know, like I told you before I have so many problems… this chapter is actually written after people wanted it sooooo bad they want to know what happen to Matt, so here it is. Suspences? Surprises? Of course!

As usual, I don't own Yamato "Matt" Ishida, Taichi "Tai Kamiya" Yagami and all other characters in Digimon. Kaoru Miyama and Rei Tanaka are my creations, so don't mess with them or I'll kick your butts off to the moon. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 8: The Pain We Held 

(Kaoru's POV)

I was still thinking about Yama-san's condition. He seemed unhappy lately, and I knew exactly why. It was because of his ex-girlfriend Sora.

Why doesn't he take his time to relax instead of thinking about the girl who dumped him? Doesn't he know that he was actually trying to make his illness worse? Man, what should I say as he always ignores Rei, Ichijouji, Taichi-san and I; did not listen to us and keep thinking about Sora…

Sigh.

What am I thinking, actually? Do I feel like I'm caring too much for him? Ha, no way. But somehow… he reminded me of my younger sister Aoi. She died of heart complication 7 years ago, by that time I was 14 and she was only 9. Much the same age as Rei and perhaps, Yamato. To tell the truth, I really cared about her before she died. Just like what I'm doing now.

Sigh.

This is so complicated.

"Crash! Bang! Thud!"

What the…? Who's that? Rei? Yamato?

Then when I switched on the light, I saw _him._

It was Yamato, with eyes totally shut, his medicines scattered everywhere.

"Yamato-san!!"

************************************************************************

(Tai's POV)

I jerked up, feeling so uncomfortable. I have been dreaming. A bad dream indeed. Sighing, I glanced at the clock. It was 1.27 a.m.

My mind was totally blank. What did I dream just now? I've forgotten. No, no. I remembered it had something to do with Matt. I closed my eyes back, remembering…

Matt and I, dressed and aged the way we first met in the camp, were running along a river happily. He chased me while I ran away, laughing.

Then suddenly a tragedy occurred. He screamed as he fell into the water! I stopped immediately, and seeing at the riverbank, I could tell that he slipped and fell.

I wanted to save him, really; but I didn't have the courage to do that. The river was flowing rapidly, dragging together Matt in it. I could hear Matt yelling and screaming for help, but I didn't know what to do. Strange enough, I knew Matt can swim, but why he seemed not knowing it?

Feeling helpless, all that I could do was to call Matt's name repeatedly, desperately chasing him as the river swept him. But the river was too rough, and in no time Matt was gone…

Sigh.

What does that mean?

What does the dream mean?

Matt…

************************************************************************

(Rei's POV)

The crash and bang wkoe me up from my sleep. Then the light was on, and I heard Kaoru yelled, "Yamato-san!!" Then what?

We are now waiting for the news of Ishida-kun from the E.R.

Now it's around 3.30 a.m., and the latest we heard was that his conditions were worsening. No. It can't be.

Meanwhile, Kaoru was sleeping on her bed. She found Ishida-kun unconscious at around 1.30 a.m., then after hepling the doctors on some things, she fell asleep.

"Tanaka-san?" I heard someone calling. It was Doctor Sakurai, one of the doctors responsible of us SARS patients.

I rushed at her immediately, hoping for good news from Ishida-kun.

But all she gave me was a shook from her head. So the answer is… no. No. It can't be. This can't be happening! I don't believe it!!

Ishida-kun…

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What can you expect from here, readers? *wisegirl gives an evil grin to every reader*

Now, get it going! R&R! You want this chapter badly, right? Go on! Flame meeeeeeeeee!! (j/k)

See you around in next chapter! *^^*


	10. The Sleeping Beau

To Get Rid of Me 

A-hem. This is wisegirl and she's now up into her 9th chapter of "To Get Rid of Me"!! Ho ho ho ho ho!! *^^*

Disclaimer: Digimon does not belong to wisegirl and if any of you lawyers and prosecutors out there read this, you've been told. There.

I tell you something: I have fallen in love with Kouichi Kimura because of the pic of Epidose 50 I saw on the Net. He he. So lovely. *^^*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Chapter 9: The Sleeping Beau (Tai's POV)**

I woke up several times this morning. It was all because of the strange dream of Matt drowning. Every image of the dream appeared again and again – we were playing together, then he fell and drowned… I could still hear his screams for help…

I wonder why couldn't I save him? I just ran following the river that dragged Matt away from me…

Argh! Kami-sama, tell me what happened!!

"_Tai-chan, denwa!_ (Tai, your call!)" I heard Mother called me. Instantly I rushed over the phone. Nobody would call me in this early morning unless for something important. I know this is rude, but I'm worried about Matt right now and if this call is from Mr. Ishida or whoever…

"_Moshi-moshi, Taichi desu_ (Hello, Tai speaking)," I said once I got the receiver.

"Tai?" I recognized the voice. None other than Mr. Ishida, then who else? "Listen, we are going to the hospital now. Matt…" I barely heard the rest of the sentence as I heard one of the most frightening news I least expect to hear.

Matt's now in the ICU.

************************************************************************

The first thing I did when we reached the hospital was to go to where Matt was. He wasn't in the usual SARS patients' ward, but a doctor in the ward showed us to Matt's room.

I didn't know how to express my feelings when I saw him. He was in this very little room, but unlike the usual ward, this room had a respiratory machine, and some other machines I don't know their names. I couldn't stand seeing Matt covered by colourful wires and tubes, and wearing an oxygen mask…

Matt's father was so hurt he quickly turned his face away from his son. I knew he couldn't bear seeing Mat in such condition any longer. And the saddest thing is that neither of us could go any nearer, as we were only able to see him through a window.

But somehow, Matt seemed so calm, like he was serenely slumbering.

Matt has now turned into a 'Sleeping Beau'.

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Once again, review, okay? Thanks! *^^*


	11. The Guest

To Get Rid of Me 

Mwah hahahahahahahaha!! Again, the invader called "wisegirl" had intended to rule the planet of Digimon!! Heh heh, just kidding.

As usual, there's a disclaimer: Digimon is not mine. Simple, isn't it?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Chapter 10 : The Guest (Kaoru's POV)**

When I woke up later that morning, I still heard Rei crying. Her first cry almost made me nervous because it made me thought that Yama-san was dead, when actually he wasn't. but the news that he was in the ICU made her crying even worse.

Hmph. Children nowadays…

Just now Taichi-san and Mr. Ishida visited us. We had a little chat about what happened earlier, what I thought and such… They promised to visit us again and asked us to take care of Yamato. I definitely would, because he seemed to be my new 'Aoi' now.

"_Konnichiwa, mina-san_ (Good afternoon, all)," a greet from a very familiar voice rang into my ears. Of course, the 'young one' Ken Ichijouji came to visit us as usual. Then I caught a sight of Yama-san behind him.

Rei was the first to notice, and began stammering, "I…Ishida-kun?" Yes, the boy looked slightly like Yamato – blond hair, blue eyes – except his hair was quite messy. He wore a green long-sleeved shirt and a pair of green trousers.

However Ken laughed lightly to see our reaction, and introduced 'the other Yamato' to us. "This is Takeru, Matt's younger sibling," he said.

Younger sibling? "My family name is Takaishi," the boy said. "We're separated siblings after our parents divorced."

Oh. I could see it now. As I never knew that Yama-san had siblings, I was quite surprised to hear that. But why didn't he tell us earlier that he had a sibling?

"Uh… where's Matt?" Ken's question caught my ears and I told the boys that he's in the ICU. Upon hearing that answer, they were shocked, especially Ken. When Ken last visited Yamato, he seemed okay but today he was sent to the ICU. Takeru? Heh. He knows nothing.

I finally showed them where Yamato was and there he was, covered by tubes and wires with machines and medicines surrounding him… All three of us, especially that 'Yamato's brother' watched helplessly as Yamato lying there slumbering peacefully.

"How did it happen?" Ken asked. I just told them that something was bothering his mind that night and I thought it caused him to suffer more. Ken nodded, understood what I meant but Takeru didn't seem to understand, especially the 'what' that bothered his brother. And what, he couldn't believe the fact that the one thing bothering Yamato was his ex-girlfriend Sora! He thought Sora really loved Yamato but Ken, Taichi-san, Rei and I were the witnesses of his rejection.

On the way back to my room, I asked Ken whether Takeru is really Yamato's sibling. His replies? "Actually I don't really know about it either, I just know that recently." I narrowed my eyes, searching for an explanation. "People say that they are siblings, but I never heard T.K. call Matt 'brother', even when they are near." I only made a silent "Oh" as I understood all the things he said. Sounds like the two aren't really close siblings.

Sigh.

Before the two friends went out from the hospital, I told Takeru, "Please try to visit Yama-san more often. He needs friends to support him right now." He just nodded and walked out.

"I don't know how to say this, Kaoru-chan, but I really doubt he would visit Ishida-kun without a fight next time," I heard Rei said. What she meant is the next time Takeru visits his brother, there would be a family quarrel or something.

Hmph. People are so complicated nowadays…

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The next chapter would have a fight! Uhh… not a real fight, really, it's just a quarrel… ^^;;;

Oh yes, I'd love to have a _real_ angst, and my new project is called "Nibunnoichi". However it is rated as R, so go read it!!

Now! Review!! Arigatou!! *^^*


	12. The Ice Between Us

To Get Rid of Me 

Konnichiwa, minna!! Wisegirl has added a chapter to this story… aren't you glad? *^^*

Okay, let's make things short: T.K. came for a visit! That's all.

Disclaimer: Digimon is not mine. Hey, is there any Season 5? (I checked on Toei's website but there weren't any news on Digimon, but I still heard rumours…)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Chapter 11: The Ice Between Us (T.K.'s POV)**

As I reached home, my mind was full of this question. Matt's in the ICU because of Sora? No way.

Did Father know that Matt's in the ICU? Perhaps he knew. I don't know, but don't the hospital has his phoen number? Mother? She doesn't know about this yet, even since the day I got the news that Matt had SARS. I just didn't want to tell her. But maybe I should tell her now.

"_Tadaima_ (I'm home)," I called as I entered the house. No replies. Oh yes, Mother is working today. Huh… I really wanted to tell her.

I waited until Mother came home. It wasn't long enough before she came back. "_Tadaima_," she called.

"You're home," I replied, and took the chance to tell her about Matt. She was quite shocked, but she promised to pay a visit on him tomorrow.

This is so un-understandable. Why tomorrow? Why not today? Questions kept popping in my mind.

Ah, never mind. But I wonder, what would happen next?

************************************************************************

The next afternoon, we went to University Hospital to visit Matt. However we were silent along the way. I could feel the tense emotion in this journey. Was she worried? Was she angry? I don't know.

When we reached the hospital, at the ICU where Matt was, I saw Father, Tai, Kari, Davis, Izzy and Sora. Tai was scolding Sora, probably because he thought she was the cause of Matt going in the ICU, while the others tried to calm him down. Out from the quarrelling crowd, Father was staring at Matt that was inside the room.

Everyone stopped fighting once they saw us, and Father turned his head to us. Mother took her steps towards Father, and stopped in front of him.

That was when a shocking thing happened – she slapped Father. I was stunned; Tai was stunned; Kari was stunned; Sora was stunned; Izzy was stunned; while Davis made a big "O" as he was shocked to see such thing.

"How could you let it happen?!" she yelled angrily, half-screaming. It was obvious, Mother couldn't accept the fact that Father let Matt got this deadly disease.

Father was silent, and finally managed to whisper, "Natsuko, I…"

"You what?" she snapped. "You don't have time to spend on him? Takeru always told me Yamato said that he's always lonely out there!" I narrowed my eyes when she said that. Since when did I tell Mother that Matt was always alone? I just told her that he was _sometimes_ alone, not always.

"Natsuko," Father tried to confront his angry ex-wife, "I'm always busy. Besides, he's grown up now."

"So that means you don't have to take care of him?" she accused. Her words made Father turned red. I was terrified, I knew he was angry.

"Fine! Why don't _you_ take care of him instead?! I told you I was busy, but it didn't mean I abandoned him!!"

This sight was the one I least expect to see. I hate seeing them quarrelling, but now I have to see it again. _Otou-san, okaa-san, yamete!!_ (Father, Mother, stop it!!)

Then suddenly all of us heard the sound of bed shaking violently. Tai and I rushed to see what it was. Then we saw it.

Matt's body was shaking violently, as if he was in trouble.

"Matt!!"

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Yeah, yet another cliffhanger. I _love_ cliffhangers, they keep the readers in suspense. Hey, don't get mad at me, please.

So, what do you think of this chapter? Review, okay? Arigatou gozaimashita. -_-


	13. The Fallen One

To Get Rid of Me 

Hi! Wisegirl's back with a new chapter. Uhh…that's all I have to say.

From last chapter: Matt has a problem. Again. Huh…

Disclaimer: wisegirl doesn't own Digimon.

Oii! Why is this intro very short?!

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Chapter 12: The Fallen One 

(Kaoru's POV)

Today is very weird to me. Yama-san is not here, and I saw several people went to where he was. I only recognized Taichi-san and Mr. Ishida-sama. Then I heard Taichi-san yelling at a girl, I thought she must be Sora that Taichi-san and Yama-san had mentioned before.

Half an hour later, Takeru-san came with a woman, probably his mother. Then the shouts came again, this time between the woman (maybe) and Mr. Ishida. Ha ha ha. They were fighting. Rei's guess was right after all.

Suddenly we heard them call Yamato's name frantically. Then Taichi-san and Mr. Ishida rushed outside, and then came back with several doctors. Rei went out to see what happened.

"Kaoru-chan!!" Rei yelled suddenly, as she banged open the door. "I…Ishida-kun…he…"

I didn't need much time to read her worried face, with tears streaming down her face.

Yamato-san had a problem. Again.

************************************************************************

(Tai's POV)

 I watched in horror as the doctors tried to save Matt. This is too much for him. First he got SARS, then Sora dumped him and caused him to be sent here, next all the quarrellings between Sora and I and Matt's parents and now… argh! Why did it happen?!

Everytime I saw the LED screen show a straight line, my heart skipped so much. Everyone was worried, afraid if Matt would go away from here and never return. I don't want that to happen!

Matt, don't die now! Remember the time you promised me you'll never leave me again? What would happen if you leave me now? Please Kami-sama, save him!!

In the riot, suddenly I sensed someone watching me; and turning my head, I saw Kaoru staring at me. I didn't know what her stare meant, but then I felt my body weakening, mu vision blurred…

…And I passed out.

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Mwahahahahahahaha!! Bad wisegirl; very, very bad wisegirl… :D

Now, it's time for reviews, flames and whatever. Do it or I'll really do something more evil than that! Ha!

Thanks for reading! Arigatou gozaimashita! *^^*


	14. The Dark Wall of Loneliness

To Get Rid of Me 

Hi everyone. Hey, what am I doing?!

Okay, from the last chapter: Tai passed out while the doctors tried to save Matt. Hmm.

I don't own Digimon.

Let's go to the story.

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**Chapter 13: The Dark Walls of Loneliness (Matt's POV)**

Wonder what is this place. It's very dark, and I couldn't see anything at all. I felt so blinded.

Is this hell?

_No._ The answer made me sprang onto my feet, and I turned around to see if anyone's around, but I saw nothing.

"So… this is not hell?" I asked the voice that came out of nowhere.

_This is your illusion, the being of what you are now. What do you think of it?_

"Too dark," I simply stated. Then the voice was silent. I began to wander around, my hands tried to feel if there was anything in front of me.

Nothing.

I began to walk around, but I felt so awkward doing it in the dark, without touching or feeling anything.

Hours passed, and slowly I began to feel like going out of this fucking, damn place. But how? How can I get out of here? Nobody came to take me out, there's not even a glimpse of light!

"Hey!!" I called loudly so that the voice could speak to me once more. "Let me out of here!!"

Silent.

"Hey!! Let me out!!"

No answer.

"You bastard! Let me outta here or I'll kill you, you fucking damn people!!" I began yelling angrily, but to no avail. Of course, I was actually talking rubbish. There was nothing in this darkness.

I'm all alone…

_"Tai, I'm sorry about what I said about Matt,"_ I heard a girl's voice. I knew her, she was Sora. But I didn't see her, not even knowing where she was.

_"Sorry? Me? Tell Matt instead,"_ Tai replied sarcastically. I figured out that Tai might still be angry about her flirting with Joe. _"You caused this to happen, and Matt's in _here_ because of _you_!!"_

_"Me?"_ a voice of surprise came out from Sora's mouth.

_"Yeah, you! You know what, he had been thinking of _you_, and when _you_ dumped him, he became worse! It's all _your _fault!!"_

Tai, stop it. Yes, I know I was thinking of Sora, but I didn't hate her! Really!

_"He was about to get better, but where were you all this time? You flirt with Joe!!"_

_"Hey, it's not my fault, okay?! He was the one falling in love with me, I had no choice!"_ Sora protested angrily.

_"Yeah, and you go out with him anyway!"_

_"So what's with it?!"_

_"If you don't love Matt, then let him go!"_

Tai, stop it! It wasn't her fault!

_"I can't!! How can I resist if he said he doesn't mind even if I don't love him?!"_ the angry yell from Sora snapped me out. Yes. She already told me she didn't love me but I insisted and said I didn't mind if she hated me. Even though the fact is: I really cared. I finally found myself laughing upon my foolishness. I shouldn't force her to love me in the first place. Now look what happened. I'm thrown into this world of darkness.

Silent.

The voices had gone. For once, I felt relieved. But…it's getting colder here.

_"How could you let it happen?!"_ Another voice came. I knew that voice. Mother. She sounded very upset, probably to Father.

_"Natsuko, I…"_ I heard Father whispered. See what I mean? Mother was scolding Father.

_"You what? You don't have time to spend on him? Takeru told me Yamato said that he's always alone out there!"_

_"Natsuko, I'm always busy. Besides, he's grown up now."_

I chuckled when Mother said that I'm 'always alone out there'. What does she mean? I only told Takeru that I'm sometimes feel lonely, but not always!

Besides, Father was right. I'm grown up now. I can take care of myself. So he didn't worry much about me. Only sometimes he asked if I wanted something and usually I don't have any.

_"So that means you don't have to take care of him?"_ I noticed a shrill note of anger in Mother's voice.

_"Fine!"_ Father shouted, much to my surprise. _"Why don't _you_ take care of him instead?! I told you I was busy, but it didn't mean I abandoned him!!"_

What is this thing? Father was never been angrier before. They're quarrelling again! How could this be?

I tried to shut my ears, but the angry voices kept ringing in my head. Argh! Stop it! I don't want to hear it anymore!!

"Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "Stop it!! You're deafening me!! Aaaaahhhhhh!!" I quivered and ducked down, feeling afraid. I don't want to hear these voices anymore! Let me go! Somebody, save me!!

Tai…

Suddenly I felt dark hands grabbing on me, trying to pull me. I became nervous as the hands dragged me down.

I went panicked. "Tai! T.K.! Sora! Father! Mother! Anyone, help me!!" I screamed, hoping that somebody would come and save me. I don't care if it's to no avail, I don't care if it's for no use; all I want is someone who can take me out of here. Before everything is too late…

Then I saw _him_. Taichi.

"Taichiiiiiiii!!!"

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Okay, where's Tai, actually? Take your time to guess, okay?

Reviews and flames are allowed. Arigatou! *^^*


	15. The Salvation

To Get Rid of Me 

Let's make things short. Matt fell into the world of darkness…

Disclaimer: Digimon is not mine. Never be.

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**Chapter 14: The Salvation (Tai's POV)**

What the…? Where am I? Why am I here in this dark place?

I scratched my head, trying to remember how did I come here. Matt was in a critical state, then I saw Kaoru staring at me… Hey, could it possibly be Kaoru? Ah, never mind.

_"Taichiiiiii!!!!"_ I spun around immediately. I know that voice! It was Matt! But…where is he?

"Matt!!" I called out loudly. "Matt, where are you?!" I called again, as I ran through the darkness.

Damn, if there's a light or something…

"Matt! Can you hear me? Matt!!" Argh! He's not responding! Where is he? Kami-sama, tell me!!

"Yamato!!!!!" finally I gave a last call.

I don't know since when I saw Matt floating down there, lying on his back. When I rushed to get him, I saw his eyes were closed, like the way he did in the ICU. I didn't like the peaceful look on his face, and I began to shake him.

"Matt, wake up!" I called repeatedly as tears began streaming down my face. However he didn't react and that made me even more heartbroken.

"Matt, you promised me not to leave me again! Have you forgotten?!" Wailing, I hugged this person I love, this motionless friend… yes, I love him; but he's still a friend to me. At least for now.

"…Tai?"

Upon hearing my name being caled, I released my brace and saw Matt smiling weakly at me. "You…came," he murmured.

I didn't know how to hide this happy feeling. "Matt! You're alive!" I exclaimed, bracing Matt again, even more tightly than before. "I'm worried about you! I… I thought you were…" I couldn't say anything more as I began to sob.

"Tai…" he murmured softly. "I'm okay… thanks for caring about me… I won't leave you… I had promised that before." With that I released my hands, and saw him smiling.

I decided to tell him my feelings on him. Maybe he'd think I'm a jerk but I have to tell this to him. "Matt, I… iloveyou," I blurted out. Matt seemed surprised, but then he smiled.

"You know what?" Matt asked me. "I love you too."

Once he said that, a flash of light fell upon us and took us out of the darkness.

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o_O;;; *this is wisegirl's reaction on this chapter…*

Now, it's review time!! Go ahead! (talk with Culumon's style in Digimon Rumble Arena game) Arigatou gozaimashita. *^^*


	16. The Truth

To Get Rid of Me 

From the last chapter: Tai took Matt out of his darkness. They confessed their love, too.

Disclaimer: I don't have that much money to buy Digimon copyrights. *^^*

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Chapter 15: The Truth 

(Kaoru's POV)

I grinned happily when I heard the good news: Yama-san's condition had stabilised, so did Taichi-san.

Everyone was going frantic when Taichi-san suddenly collapsed. That time Yamato-san was… uh, let's say his heart had stopped beating. It was strange, as people told me, because when Yamato's heart stopped beating, Taichi collapsed as well. So it turned out to be another disaster.

Luckily, in a matter of minutes, miraculously… despite the fact that the doctors had given up on saving Yama-san… his heart began beating again. Everyone was sooooooo relieved, and they shed their tears of happiness, even though they still worried about Taichi-san as he was treated in another E.R.

Another good news came when the doctors found out that Taichi-san fainted due to his stress. And now he's resting in a ward… not ours! While Yama-san is still resting in his ICU.

A happy ending, isn't it?

************************************************************************

(Tai's POV)

The first thing I asked when I woke up is, "Where's Matt?" Everybody there – Kari, T.K., Izzy, Sora, Davis, Ken, Mr. Ishida and Mrs. Takaishi – were all smiling and gave me these very… very satisfying answers: Matt's fine, his fever had reduced, and he was resting right now…

_Arigatou gozaimashita, Kami-sama_ (Thank God)…

************************************************************************

(Matt's POV)

…I'm back? Wow. That was the first thing that came into my mind when I opened my eyes. I still remembered everything, _everything_… I came to a very dark place, then I heard Tai fighting with Sora, then Mom shouted with Father… then invisible hands took me deeper…

Then came Tai. Tai called my name, he cried on me, he said he loved me… and I said I loved him too.

What the…? Hey, I'm a… Ah, never mind. It's true, anyway.

I _loved_ him too.

************************************************************************

(Narration)

The next day, Matt was sent back to the ward where Kaoru and Rei were. Much to his surprise, he saw his other band members – Akira, Takao, Kazuma and Seiji [1]. They came to visit Matt after hearing the news and wanted to apologise for not coming with him to China.

They told that they were actually happy when they were about to go to China, until Seiji discovered later that SARS was spreading there. So Seiji contacted all the members but somehow nobody could contact Matt as his cell phone was turned off. Coincidently the telephone in Matt's apartment was malfunctioning, and nobody knew Mr. Ishida's phone number, so they decided to tell him the morning they were supposed to go to China.

However they didn't see Matt in Haneda Airport [2] at the time the flight was due.

"What time was it?" Matt asked.

"It's supposed to be 8.00 a.m., right?" Takao asked back.

Silent.

Silent.

Silent.

"…IT'S 6.00 A.M., _BAKA_ (you fool)!!" Matt's angry shout caused the band members to cower, while Kaoru blinked her eyes as Rei laughed. "Huh… never mind," finally he calmed himself down, accepting their apologies.

The others kicked Takao very hard. "We told ya, dammit!" they said angrily.

"I didn't know that…"

Yes, it was a hard truth, but it caused laughter to everyone that evening.

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How do you like that excuse? It doesn't seem to make sense, right? Tell me what you think!

Footnotes:

[1] Like I told you before, I don't know Teenage Wolves' other members' name so I created them.

[2] Haneda Airport is the_ only_ airport in Tokyo that provides flights to China. Other international flights use Narita Airport, which some people say it as 'very, very far away'…

Thanks for reading! Review, please! Arigatou gozaimashita! *^^*


	17. The Saviour Who Saved Us

To Get Rid of Me 

An announcement: This is the final chapter! I repeat; this is the final chapter!!

How much money I should prepare to buy Digimon?

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Chapter 16: The Saviour Who Saved Us 

(Tai's POV)

Ah… finally the worst nightmare was over. After spending four days in the ICU, Matt was sent back to the ward where Kaoru and Rei were. I could see his health improved; he had forgiven his band members about their 'awful mistake', he forgave Sora and wished her luck with Joe (ugh), and he had told his parents what he felt when they quarrelled… and his parents had promised not to quarrel again.

Rei became happier since then, but Kaoru remained the same. Her face still looks cold, she still picks on me and she still calls Ken 'young one', and we would tease her and make her slightly blushing.

I asked her if she caused me to go to Matt's 'world', but she gave me a stare and asked, "Excuse me?" Then I told Matt about it and Matt asked the same question to her, and she replied, "Do you think I'm some kind of alien?"

Maybe. Maybe not.

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(Matt's POV)

Tai told me that when I was in trouble, Kaoru stared at him and made him fainted… I mean, like sending him to my 'world'… I asked her whether she caused Tai to faint, but she shot back, "Do you think I'm some kind of alien?"

My words died with that question, and I didn't ask further.

Oh yes, doctors told me that Kaoru and Rei were about to be discharged a week earlier (!), but somehow they convinced the doctors that they were still 'sick' so that they could stay here longer to guard me. Lucky me. I'm so grateful they were here.

Now, Kaoru began singing back her favourite songs – songs from international singers like Linkin Park, Avril Lavigne… just to name a few. She's like what, a true entertainer.

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(Narration)

And so, after spending around a month in University Hospital in Keio, Mita the three SARS patients – Yamato Ishida, Kaoru Miyama and Rei Tanaka – were discharged. It was, of course, good news to all of them.

Tai and Matt announced to Kaoru, Rei and Ken that they were now lovers; but when they said that they would show this 'love' by becoming 'best friends', the others scoffed so hard because they thought that it should go 'further'. Both Tai and Matt turned red instantly!

Rei couldn't wait to get out of the hospital, but thinking that she would never see Matt again, she cried. "I want to see Ishida-kun more!" she wailed, causing others tolm her down.

Finally all of them were separated – Rei and Kaoru returned to Shinjuku while the others went back to Odaiba. Just when Matt and Tai turned to wave good-byes to their new friends, they noticed something different on Kaoru.

"Tai-chan," Matt said to his _koibito_ (lover), "Did you see what I saw just now?"

"Hmmm… what do you think I see that you see?" Tai replied casually. "Wings?"

Matt smiled. "Just when she said she's not an alien…" he whispered, causing both of them to giggle. "But if she didn't sent you, I'll be dead."

"Yeah," Tai agreed. "If she didn't send me, I'll never have the chance to say the three words."

"Then she's a saviour," Matt stated. Both of them nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. _Our _saviour."

The End 

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'o' I can't believe I have ended the story! Woo-hoo! After all the suspenses, it ended happily (but not what some Taito fans want. Hey, I can't be _that_ serious! Really!)

The next chapter would be my thank you notes, so for those who had reviewed in, take a look on it and you might get some explanations.

Review, okay? Thanks! *^^*


	18. random notes from the author: thank you ...

Random notes from the author: The thank you notes 

The End. Finally, it's finished. Thank you very much to everyone for taking your time to read this story (which I consider as a piece of crap with some infos). ^_^

I'll tell everyone everything I want to say about this story. For those who don't want to read it, either skip it or get out of here. *innocent grin*

I first get the idea of making an angst (or turned out to be romance? I don't know!) story after I really knew what SARS is. Like I told you in Chapter 1, where Matt's first thought was that SARS was some kind of airforce group… I was the one who thought that. So I put my first impression of SARS into Matt's thoughts and…ha! We're both stupid, right? So that's how the story came out.

What does the title "To Get Rid of Me" means? Actually it means nothing. Ha ha ha! When the idea of writing this story appeared, this title came out. At first, I used this as a temporary title but then I decided not to change it because… I like it, anyway.

During the earlier chapters of the story, I was really glad because I had ideas, facts and everything to help me write the story. But when it comes to Chapter 7, I had to change the idea (the first was that Kaoru didn't wake up from her sleep and Matt found that her fever was very high). I'd prefer a Taito story instead of someone else's.

Then Chapter 8, 9 and 10 were also disastrous because the first idea was to make Tai kiss the sleeping Matt! Then… you know what happen…you got the idea… so I think I should rest my mind first before getting another idea for the story.

But then there were other problems, such as monetary problems, personal problems… people force to do what I hate… so I had to delay everything for at least a month or more.

However when I posted the random notes and get uh… demands to continue the story, the ideas came back! Thanks everyone! You're my Muses! *^^*

The problems I had in writing this story:

I can't kill people. First I wanted someone died; maybe Matt, maybe Kaoru or maybe Rei, or… plus Tai, something like that… but I found out that I couldn't 'kill' people so… everyone's alive.

**Gomababe** (a reviewer) asked me, "From all couples, why Sora and JOE?!" Is there anything wrong with it? Is it because Sora is quite sexy and Joe looks like a nerd so when they kissed… ugh. Is that so? However what is done is done and I won't undo it. Author power! Yeah!!

I didn't go into details. I keep skipping time, the ward is not like the 'special' SARS patients' ward I saw in a Singaporean TV programme "True Courage – A Tribute to SARS Patients"… Luckily the programme was there when I was resting my mind and I added these into the story. So Matt's ICU is a separate room out of visitors' reach.

Now, for all my muses!

**Reviewers:**

**Sillie, matt4ever, nEo-cHaN ** – the supporters from the beginning. Even though their reviews (esp. matt4ever's) are short, I appreciate them anyway.

**CCPheonix, Darkness Princess, Trevor the Enchanter, Yamato Da man** – the 'bombers'! I like the way you flame me, sorry to make you nervous / suspensed esp. "Ch. 8 – The Pain We Held". But from the way you did it, I know you really liked this story. Thank you anyways!

**DespairingAngel** – known as AngelOfDarknessAndDespair, a Singaporean; even though our countries have a slight misunderstanding lately, let's hope for the problems to be solved.

Gomababe – sorry about the Joera part, but if you search the couples Joe and Sora, maybe you'll get several fics about them ^^ 

**Rocke and Roll** – who found the idea of mixing current affairs and fictions interesting, thank you very much!

**babydragon** – a Malaysian Taito fan. Wonder if there are any Malaysians among the list of members of ff.net.

**Rei** – wow, lucky me I have a reviewer with the same name of this story's character!

**Gala, Redrum, Loner, Emiru Yagami, Net Battler, Sheila, chibi megami, Dark Ho-Oh, Dina, Kris-kris, hache, Jenihenpen, Sibyl, luna-sky** – thanks for your reviews and comments. Arigatou gozaimashita. -_-

Reviewers and readers that their names were not mentioned – thank you very much!! Not that I don't notice you at all, but maybe you posted your reviews in the last minutes before I posted this one. Heh heh *^^*

**Stationeries and Aids (not the disease!)**:

**Pencils** (namely Yamato, Ken and Iori) – for helping me writing the first 6 chapters of the story.

**Pens** (2 Kilometrico black pens) – one for writing the 7th chapter, and the other for the rest of the story.

**Exercise books** – for all the drafts I made to make it.

**Diary** (namely Yamato or Yama) – for giving me the inspiration to write the story.

**Money** – yes… this is the most 'importante' thing because I write it at cyber cafes.

**"Japan" by Lonely Planet Publishing** – for the informations about Tokyo and its districts.

**Reports from World Health Organization** – I love infos being added into my story.

**My siblings** – they know I write stories on the Net, but they never read my story… yet. Maybe I'll let them read it, only if they can read English! Ha! ^^

A googol thanks to all of you!! (A million is not enough, really. *^^*)

Lots of Love,

wisegirl


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